Fluid sampler



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United States Patent O 3,417,623 FLUID SAMPLER Leslie M. Andrasko, 631 N. Milpas St., Santa Barbara, Calif. 93103 Filed Oct. 11, 1965, Ser. No. 494,347 6 Claims. (Cl. 73--422) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A sampler for removing a iluid sample from a closed conduit. A tubular .bushing is permanently installed transverse to the conduit. A housing enclosing a reciprocating sampling pump is removably inserted within the bushing so that the input check valve opening is aligned with an opening in the bushing. The pump element is a plunger normally elevated by means of a spring and adapted to be depressed by cam actuation in response to a rotating drive element thereby to reciprocate the plunger. The plunger is nonrotatably mounted in its housing in a reciprocating position and has on it an interrupted spiral cam. A drive cam mounted on a rotating cap sleeve presses against the spiral cam causing the reciprocating movement and the cap sleeve is rotated by a pair of gears. An adjusting screw modies the extent of reciprocation of the plunger, thereby to adjust the pump action.

The invention relates to a device by m'eans of which relatively small accurately measured samples can be selected from fluid flowing through a pipe for purposes of periodic analysis. More particularly, the invention is directed to a continuous power operated device which once set in operation can 'be depended upon to continue as long as the need for it is present.

In the production of iluids such as oil and petroleum, when withdrawn from a well, it is frequently desirable to know the proportions and consistency of the sundry fluids and liquids which make up the production in order to be guided as to what disposition should be made of the flow. The simplest type of sampling is one which makes use of a petcock from which a sample of the fluid flowing through a pipe can be withdrawn from time to time for examination and analysis. Needless to say, the sampling of fluids in such fashion is time consuming, expensive man-hour effort, and always dependent for its accuracy upon considerable technique in the accurate analysis of the liquid. Although other more sophisticated sampling devices have been proposed from time to time they are complicated and expensive and need considerable care to keep them in operation.

It is therefore among the objects of the invention to provide a new and improved fluid sampling device which can take samples of fluid from a body of tluid where control is needed, the device being one which operates constantly without attention of an operator and which is dependably accurate at all times.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved sampling mechanism for lluids which `is easy to adjust to a precise degree of accuracy, the adjustment being one which can be made at any time whether or not the device is operating or whether it is at rest or withdrawn to the shop for service.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved iluid sampling device which has considerable latitude in adjustment as to quantity of fluid withdrawn for sampling purposes in that the same device can be adjusted down to take very small infrequent quantities when such sampling is all that may be needed, or which can be speeded up and amplied in its operation so as to extract frequent large quantities of fluid to be sampled where such sampling becomes necessary.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved iluid sampling device which is particularly easy to install in a fluid pipeline, the device being so constructed that an accurate installation can be made wthen necessary in the field.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved fluid sampling device which, once installed, can be readily removed for servicing without it being necessary to dismantle the device and which can be reinstalled with equal ease.

Also included among the objects of the invention is to provide a new and improved lluid sampler device which has relatively Ifew moving parts and which is simple and inexpensive to operate and install especially taking into consideration a high `degree of accuracy.

The device is further characterized as one which by a simple rearrangement of valving can be converted into a fluid injector having all the advantages above recited as pertaining to a lluid sampler.

With these and other objects in view, the invention -consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter set forth, pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal sectional View of the device shown installed in a fluid pipeline and with operating parts pictured part-way through a cycle of operation.

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of the device of FIGURE 1 with the parts in the position occupied near the end of a sampling cycle.

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional View taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2.

In an embodiment of the device chosen for the purpose of illustration, there is shown a pipeline indicated generally by the reference character 10 which comprehends a pipe wall 11 and an interior passage 12 to accommodate the tlow of some typical lluids such for example as crude oil flowing from a well. The fluid flow will be assumed to be in the direction of the arrow shown in the lower central portion of FIGURE 1.

A tubular bushing indicated generally by the reference character 13 consists of a body 14 which extends through holes 15 and 16 in the pipe wall 11 where it is welded or soldered in position. It will be noted that the diameter of'the body 14 is appreciably less than the diameter of the passage 12 so that there will be no restriction to the flow of fluid around it as the fluid passes through the pipeline 10. A bore 17 extends through the body 14 and an inlet port 18, facing upstream with respect to llow through the pipeline 10, communicates between the passage 12 and the bore 17. One or more annular recesses like the recess 19 is provided with a suitable O-ring seal 20. The outer end of the bore is provided with a threaded section 21.

A plug 25 has a smooth walled section 26 which lits slidably within the bore 17, and a threaded section 27 threadedly engages the threaded section 21 of the tubular bushing 13. In addition to the O-ring seal 20 there is an external O-ring seated in an annular recess 29, the O-ring seal being adapted to seal against an outwardly facing surface 30 of the tubular bushing 13.

Centrally located in the plug 25 is an outer pocket 31 which lies partly within an external section 32 of the plug and partly within the threaded section 27. An extension 33 of the pocket 31, smaller in diameter than the pocket, projects inwardly within the smooth walled section 26 and at its innermost end provides a pump chamber 34.

To supply the pump chamber with fluid from the passage 12 there is an inflow passage 35 communicating directly with the pump chamber, the inliow passage 35 including a ball check compartment 36 and a supply passage 37 contained within a threaded sleeve 38. A check valve in the form of a ball 39 is urged by a spring 40 into position closing the supply passage 37.

On the other side there is an outflow passage 41 in which is a ball check compartment 42 which is in communication With an extension 43 of the outflow passage. Here again a check valve in the form of a ball 44 is urged by a spring 45 in a direction closing the outflow passage 41. A threaded plug 46 serves as a spring keeper for the spring 45 as Well as providing a plug for the hole used in initially forming the ball check compartment 42. A piston assembly indicated generally by the reference character 50 includes an innermost piston element 51 which, when reciprocated into and out of the pump chamber 34, serves to successively fill the pump chamber and empty it as often as operation of the piston element 51 is repeated.

In addition, the piston assembly includes a ange 52 and an outer driven element 53. The piston assembly is prevented from rotation during operation by diametrically opposite studs 54 and 55 slidably mounted in respective channels 56 and 57. A coiled spring 58 is biased normally to urge the piston element 50 in a direction from left to right as viewed in FIGURES 1 and 2. Motion toward the right is limited by an adjusting screw 59 manipulated by an adjusting wheel 60. The adjusting screw is threadedly engaged in a cap sleeve 61, the cap sleeve in turn being attached to the piston assembly 50 by employment of a collar 62 which fits in an annular retaining depression 63 in the cap sleeve 61, the collar being anchored to the external section 32 of the plug 25 by means of screws 64. It will be understood that by rotating the adjusting screw 59 in or out, as the case may be, the full open position of the piston assembly 50 can be adjusted and in this way adjust the volume or capacity of the pump chamber 34, in full condition.

A power drive for the piston assembly is provided by meshing gears 65 and 66, the gear -65 being rotated by any appropriate means not pertinent to the present invention. The gear 66 is nonrotatably mounted upon the cap sleeve 61 and made nonrotatable with respect thereto by employment of a spline 67. The piston assembly, in turn, is supported by a bearing collar -68 in which is mounted a ball bearing element 69 held in position by a snap ring 70.

Anchored to the exterior of the driven element 53 of the piston assembly 50 is a spiral cam 71. The spiral cam circumscribes the exterior of the driven element 53 but encompasses less than 360 degrees of the exterior circumference, namely about 300 degrees, leaving a gap 72 between opposite ends 73 and 74 of the spiral cam 71, see FIGURE 3. Cooperating with the spiral cam 71 is a cam 75 which is in the form of a cam plug having a threaded end 76 threadedly engaging an interior portion 77 of the cap sleeve 61. A tting 78 anchors a lead oi pipe 79 to the exterior section 32 of the plug 25 and in communication with the extension 43 of the outflow passage 41.

In operation the plug is installed as shown and described and the gear 65 is connected to an appropriate source of rotation. As the gear 65 rotates and rotates the gear 66 the cap sleeve 61 is simultaneously rotated, relative to the exterior section 32 of the plug 25. This means that the cam 75 is driven against the spiral cam 71 and, if the piston assembly 50 is in the position of FIG- URE 1 initially, the cam 75 pressing against the spiral cam 71 will cause the piston assembly 50 to move endwise from right to left as viewed in FIGURES 1 and 2. This means that the piston element 51 is moved from the position of FIGURE l to the position of FIGURE 2, progressively closing the pump chamber 34. If there is any liquid in the pump chamber, it is forced outwardly through the outflow passage 41 and outflow check valve 44, then through the extension 43 of the outflow passage and into the lead off pipe 79. In the meantime, the inflow check valve 39 is forced to closed position,

As the driven element 53 of the piston assembly 50 continues to rotate, the cam 75 passes the end 74 of the spiral cam 71. The spiral cam is then freed and the spring 58 will therefore move the piston assembly from the position of FIGURE 2 to the position of FIGURE 1. When this happens, the piston element 51 draws open the pump chamber 34. Since the outow check valve at this time is seated by the spring 55, only the iniow check valve 39 will be operated and lifted from its seat. Fluid during this state of operation will be drawn by vacuum pressure through the inlet port 18 thence through the supply passage 37 and ball check compartment 36, and iinally through the inflow passage 35 into the pump chamber 34. The pump chamber is ready then to be discharged. The spiral cam 71 has in the meantime been returned to the position of FIGURE 1. Thereafter as the gears 65 and `66 continue to be rotated in the same direction, they drive the cam 75 in the same direction and the operation will be repeated causing the piston element to be again withdrawn, and the pump chamber 34 again becomes a suction chamber. This is the operation which is repeated periodically as long as the gears continue to be operated. The uid pumped by the pump chamber 53 is ultimately sent outwardly through the lead off pipe 79 to a suitable point of deposit where analysis can be made.

When the capacity of the pump chamber 34 is to be varied, the adjusting wheel 60 is rotated, in either direction, to increase or decrease the capacity of the pump chamber 34. To further change the amount of fluid which is to be extracted from the passage 12, the speed of the gears 65 and 66 can -be changed, if they are being run continuously. If the gears are being run intermittently by some appropriate conventional timing operation, the timing can be changed to increase or decrease the frequency of rotation of the driven element 53 and hence the cam operation. All of the adjustments that affect the speed of pumping can be made while the apparatus is assembled and in operation.

Should it become desirable to service the device, a momentary shut down is all that needs to be done to the flow of Huid through the pipe line 10, long enough to unscrew the plug 25 from its position and to screw in a dummy plug so that fluid in the pipeline 10 will not leak out through the inlet port 18 and the hollow interior of the bore 17. When the device is to be replaced, the pipeline can again be shut oi momentarily, the dummy plug removed and the plug 25 reinserted.

Although the device has been described primarily as a sampler, that is to say a means for extracting measured quantities of liquids from the passage 12 in precisely measured amounts at periodic intervals, the device can be reversed by a very simple procedure, thereby to convert it into a periodic injector. All that this entails is reversing the direction of the two check valves 39 and 44 so that the ball check 44 is an inflow check and the ball check 39 is an outflow check. The lead off pipe 79 then becomes the supply pipe and any fluid which is injected will accordingly be drawn inwardly through the pipe 79, the passage 44, then drawn into the pump chamber 34 from whence it will be ejected through the passages 35 and 37, ultimately to be injected into the passage 12 through the port 18. Reversal of the check valves although not shown specically in the drawing is well understood in the art.

While the invention has herein been shown and described in What is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new in support of Letters Patent is:

1. A device for sampling measured quantities of liquid at specied intervals which ows through a pipe comprising a sampler assembly including a bushing extending into the interior of said pipe, said bushing having a bore therein, an inlet port between the bore and the exterior of said bushing within said pipe, a plug mounted in said bore, said plug having a pump chamber therein of variable capacity, an inflow passage between the inlet port and the pump chamber having an inflow check valve therein, an outow passage from the pump chamber to the exterior of said plug outside of said pipe having an outllow check valve therein, a pump element operatively mounted with respect to said pump chamber, periodically actuated power means independent of said liquid which hows through the pipe, said power means being rotatably mounted on said sampler assembly and an operating connection between said power means and said pump element.

2. A device for sampling measured quantities of liquid at specied intervals which ows through a pipe cornprising a sampler assembly including a bushing extending into the interior of said pipe, said bushing having a bore therein and an inlet port between the bore and the interior of said pipe, a plug mounted in said bore, said plug having a pump chamber therein, an inow passage between the inlet port and the pump chamber having an inow check valve, an outflow passage from the pump chamber to the exterior ot` said plug outside said pipe having an outow check valve therein, a pump element reciprocatably mounted in said pump chamber, and an exterior periodically actuaed power means adapted to reciprocate said pump element whereby to extract liquid from said pipe said power means being independent of said liquid flowing through the pipe, said power means comprising an actuator rotatably mounted on said plug, and a cam device having coacting cam elements respectively on said pump element and said actuator for moving said pump element in response to rotation of said actuator.

3. A device for sampling measured quantities of liquid at specified intervals which tiows through a pipe comprising a sampler assembly including a bushing extending into the interior of said pipe, said bushing having a bore therein and an inlet port between the bore and the interior of said pipe, a plug mounted in said bore, said plug having a pump chamber therein of variable capacity, an inow passage between the inlet port and the pump chamber having an inow check valve therein, an outow passage from the pump chamber to the exterior of said plug outside said pipe having an outlow check valve therein, a pump element reciprocatably mounted in said pump chamber, and an exterior periodically actuated power means adapted to reciprocate said pump element whereby to extract liquid from said pipe, said power means comprising an actuator rotatably mounted on said plug, and a cam device having coacting cam elements respectively on said pump element and said actuator for moving said pump element in response to rotation of said actuator, and adjusting means acting between the pump element and said plug adapted to limit the extent of movement of said pump element thereby to vary the amount of liquid which is sampled.

4. A device for sampling measured quantities of liquid at specied intervals which ows through a pipe comprising a sampler assembly comprising a bushing extending into said pipe, said bushing having a bore therein, an inlet port between the bore and the exterior of said bushing within said pipe, a plug removably mounted in said bore, said plug having a central pump chamber therein, an inlow pasage between the inlet port and the pump chamber, and an outflow passage from the pump chamber to the exterior of said plug outside said pipe, a piston nonrotatably and reciprocatably mounted in said pump chamber, resilient means normally urging said piston in one direction and stroke limiting adjusting means adapted to urge said piston in the opposite direction whereby to adjust the size of the pump chamber, periodically actuating power means adapted to periodically reciprocate said piston whereby to extract liquid from said pipe comprising a spiral cam way extending around said piston, ends of said cam way having a gap therebetween, and a cam on said power means in engagement with said cam way thereby to periodically reciprocate said piston through a succession of pumping strokes.

5. A device for passing measured quantities of liquid between one location and another comprising a liqud moving assembly including a bushing member adapted to extend into the interior of a liquid container, said bushing member comprising a plug having a pump chamber therein of variable capacity, an inlet port in said bushing member, an inow passage between the inlet port and the pump chamber and having an inflow check valve therein, an outow passage from the pump chamber to the exterior of said bushing member having an outflow check valve, a pump element reciprocatably mounted within said pump chamber, a periodically actuated rotating drive element on said bushing member, and a helical drive coupling between said pump element and said drive element adapted to reciprocate said pump element in response to rotation of said drive element said coupling being out of communication with the liquid.

6. A device according to claim 5 including a positioner extending through the plug into said pump chamber, said positioner being adjustable to different positions in said pump chamber whereby to limit movement of said pump element whereby to vary the capacity of said device.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,784,594 3/1957 Struck '73-422 3,031,890 5/1962 Struck 73-422 3,084,555 4/1963 Van Dop 73-422 S. CLEMENT SWISHER, Acting Primary Examiner. 

